2014
by Ladiescommunity
Summary: The Bower-Micelli family in 2014. By jugglequeen, kirsty2765 and stayathomemum. Please note changes have been made to this story. (It is not a tragedy)
1. Chapter 1

**Brief note by the members of the LadiesCommunity:** We started this story a while ago as a writing project. We are a group of WTB? fans, all passionate fanfiction writers. Some of us are natives, some are not, so please kindly overlook language mistakes wherever you come across them. We take turns at writing chapters, so nobody knows where this story will end up ...

Those of you who have already read the first chapter once, might notice that we edited the plot a little. Since we're more comfortable with writing about a happy and healthy Jonathan, we skipped his deadly disease and let him fully enjoy life from now on.

Enjoy this new start and please review!

**Disclaimer:** We don't own any rights. No copyright violation intended.

* * *

**Chapter One -**_ by kirsty2765_

The years went well for the Bower-Micelli family. The Bower Agency had enlarged a lot. Angela and her staff were able to expand her corporation with new branches all over the world. They were representing in Milano, Toronto, Berlin, and Sydney with a fantastic reputation. During Tony's breaks he and Angela travelled much over the months and years to keep an eye on the work of their employees. But lately, it went of itself. They had their best years together and the difficulties of the earlier years were almost forgotten, but all the happy moments were an abiding memory. Their love grew more than either of them thought was possible. The foundation stone was laid by trust and friendship and they shipped now in calmer latitudes. What never calmed down was their passion and the magic attraction for each other. After more of twenty years of marriage they still weren't able to keep their hands from one another.

But the last year was one of the rather worse years they both had. Samantha and her children, Marie and Nicky, came back to Fairfield after living for almost 10 years near London. After finishing her nurse's school, she had spent the first weeks in Great Britain for tending Angela's grandmother. And she felt head over heels in love with her family practitioner, a handsome man named Oliver Frost. Mona's mother died after a short while, and Sam decided to stay with Olly in a little suburban town of London. They worked together in his surgery until Samantha got pregnant. The kids arrived shortly one after another, and Sam wasn't able to work anymore. Olly worked 12 hours a day and cared a lot of his family. Sam was busy with the kids, charity activities and the household, but over the years they became estranged from each other. After Olly run into an affair with a patient, she decided to leave him and stuck herself and the children in a plane back to Connecticut.

Jonathan had led the subsidiary of The Bower Agency in Berlin, and he lived there for a few years. His linguistic talent and his photographic memory had made it possible for him to learn he difficult German language in a short time. He didn't talk much about his private life for a long time, but decided three years ago to talk to Tony and his mother: he had his coming-out and plunged into the gay side of life.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two -** _by jugglequeen_

Angela was looking forward to bringing her son back to Connecticut and giving him a position within The Bower Agency in New York. She just wanted to have him close again. Europe was too far away to her liking. She missed her only son. And she still was his boss after all! If she decided it was necessary for him to work in the company's headquarter in New York, she had the power to call him back. He had been away long enough. For five long years he had been living in Germany and was doing an amazing job in expanding the subsidiary. The Bower Agency had become one of the leading advertising firms in the country. Jonathan loved his job and had aquired some reputation. Headhunters were adressing him on a weekly basis, trying to lure him to work for one of their clients, but he had declined every single offer which had ever been issued - of course. He loved working for his mother's company. But Angela was afraid she might lose him one day, so it was time he came back, and in order to make it tempting enough for him, she had given him a nice promotion. As a kid, he had suffered long enough being the president's son, having to share his mother's attention with her agency. There was nothing wrong with him now benefitting from being the president's son.

The news that her only son was gay had first been hard to take for Angela. Not so much because she resented homosexuality, but because she had always dreamt of becoming a grandmother one day. Sure, Sam's children were like grandchildren to her, and Marie and Nicky called her 'Nana', but still, she had pictured Jonathan to be a family father one day with a bunch of kids sitting around the dinner table. But she loved him more than anything and only wished for his happiness. So after a short period of getting used to the new circumstances, she had accepted them and their relationship was as loving, honest and affectionate as it had ever been. She was happy to hear that after having plunged himself totally into the gay community of the German capital and fully enjoying his new life, Jonathan was finally in a stable relationship. He lived together with a well-educated and very likeable young German, who also worked in advertising and hopefully might be willing to come with him to America.

Angela was delighted to finally reunite the Bower-Micelli family. It was very dear to her; ever since Tony and Samantha had moved into her house in 1984. Thirty unbelievable years ago! All five of them - Tony and Samantha, as well as her mother, Jonathan and she - would again be living close to one another. Not under one roof like they used to for many years, but close enough to be able to see each other more often than just once or twice a year. Only that the family would be bigger now, with Sam's children and Jonathan's boyfriend joining them. She looked forward to family dinners with four generations at the table, to business meetings with her son, and to the golden years with her husband.

Tony and she had left behind all the difficulties and obstacles, which had kept them apart for seven long years. They were married for more than twenty years now, and happier than ever. Tony taught history and Italian culture at a private college and coached the local senior's baseball team. Angela was still very busy with her agency, working fifty hours and more a week. It was her elixir of life, and she dreaded the day she would retire.

The two of them were very happy and never ever, not even once, had one of them regretted giving up their friendship for love.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three - **_by kirsty2765_

Since Sam and her two kids returned to the Bower-Micelli household it was over with peace and freedom. Sam got back to her old room and Marie and Nicky were together in Jonathan's old room. As there were only 14 months between the 9 year old girl and the 8 year old boy they were fighting about everything. Marie was angry with Sam because she had left her father. She didn't know exactly what happened to their parents and Sam didn't want to run down her husband for his inappropriate behavior. Nicky missed his father as well but he had already a great connection with his Grandpa Tony who cared for him a lot. They were playing basketball in the driveway and Tony drove them both to school the first days they were back. It was almost like in the good old days. After his own work as a teacher for history and baseball coach at the Fairfield High School he speeded himself back to the house every afternoon for cooking and cleaning. Of course they had enough money to find someone else to do these unpopular things but he never let it out of his hands. Cooking was his relaxation and over the years he was able to create culinary delicacies none of them could resist. Sometimes when Tony closed his eyes he could almost hear Sam and Jonathan when they were young children like in the first year he lived here. He had missed the voices of little children in this house. But he was worried about Samantha. He knew she wasn't happy with her separation from Oliver. Tony got to know him as a kind and responsible man who cares a lot of Sam.

"Hey, Sam how was your night, could you sleep better? Tony asked her when she came in the kitchen for breakfast.

"A little better, thanks, Dad, are the kids already at school?" Since she came home she almost felt like a child again. "You don't have to do this for me, you know, I can bring them to school as well." Sam felt a little guilty for letting her father do most of the work with Marie and Nicky.

"Don't worry, l have so much fun with them since they are here. I didn't see them so often the last years. And you should relax a little bit."

"It's not so easy to relax when the man you thought you know well has an affair with a woman who is almost ten years younger than himself. I will never forgive him for what he's done to me and the children." Sam was about crying again.

"Take your time, Sam, maybe he comes to his senses and you both find a way back. Don't give up hope. I still can't imagine what's on with him but maybe you'll work it out anytime."

"What are you saying? Do you want to defend him?" Sam nodded her head in disbelief.

"No, Sam, but men do crazy things and sometimes they don't use their brain and get caught up in terrible situations without even thinking about it."

"Dad, what are you talking about? Are you telling me that I should go back to him? I can't. I can't. I can't. It hurts too much." Sam broke out in angry tears. Tony embraced her and stroked her back.

"No, but I can tell you one thing: If Angela hadn't forgiven me for the time I was with Kathleen, I would have missed the best things of my life. And I always felt thankful that she had swallowed her pride and we were able to go on with our relationship. So, I'm sure you can't forgive him yet, but maybe later. And never stop talking to him, it's important."

"I'm not so sure about it, Dad." Sam stood up. She wanted to leave the kitchen. The discussion with Tony had made her thoughtful.

"It's time for me; I have lessons at 9.00, bye baby." Tony kissed her on the cheek and turned to the back door.

"Bye, Dad. And thanks for your advice."

"You're welcome. See you later."


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four -**_ by stayathomemum_

Jonathan and his partner, Rainer Herrmann were to arrive from Germany the following day. Angela's insistence that her son return and be groomed to take over the helm at the Bower Agency's flagship in New York, had resulted in Jonathan's enthusiastic decision to return. His partner, Rainer, was more than happy to follow his boyfriend to the ends of the earth. And Angela had offered him a pretty great position as Head Creative Director.

On the airplane, the two men clasped each other's hands tightly. Changing countries was no small step, but they felt ready.

"I'm so happy you're coming with me, Rainer."

"Well at least your mother is accepting of me—I wish that my parents would accept us. However, since they are unable to get beyond their own prejudices, this has helped me make the decision to leave Germany. Your mother's job offer is extremely kind and generous. I can't wait to meet her." Rainer smiled.

"You're going to love my mom. She's a real dynamo. And Tony is a great guy too … though, he's not terribly thrilled that I'm gay. At least he accepts it now, more or less. It's hard for him—he's very, er, macho. Oh and my step-sister and her kids are back home now too. I can't wait to see my niece and nephew. It's going to be a full family reunion!"

"So, you are excited, yah?"

"Yeah, really excited. I miss New York. I was thinking we could stay at my family home, in my grandmother's old apartment. Then, find a loft in Chelsea Village, Manhattan. It's, um, the 'gay village'. We'll be very safe and comfortable there."

"Yah, that sounds perfect. A perfect place to begin our … married life?" Rainer spoke hesitantly, gazing tenderly into Jon's eyes.

"Married?" Jon gasped. Rainer's deep blue eyes held nothing but love.

"Legal in Connecticut. We can get married; I checked. Will you marry me, Jon?"

"Yes! Of course. And my entire family can be there. Oh Rainer, I'm so happy."

Rainer hugged him, "Good, good, yes. Your family will be my family," he said a bit wistfully, wishing that his parents and brothers would finally accept who he was.

The plane landed late afternoon. Angela, Samantha and Mona were at the airport to greet them. Tony had stayed home to pick the kids up from school and make a feast worthy of celebrating the return of his stepson.

"Ooh, there they are," Sam declared. Jonathan and his partner were both tanned, blond and stylishly dressed. Rainer pulled their luggage off the carousel while Jonathan frantically waved at his family, a huge grin on his face.

"My goodness, that's Rainer?" Mona gasped. "He's gorgeous. I wonder if he has an older brother."

"Down, Mother!" Angela shook her head. Past eighty and Mona was still eyeing young men as though they were candy. Mona was currently under probation at her retirement home—she'd seduced one of the orderlies and they'd been caught in a rather compromising situation. She was no longer allowed to entertain unrelated males in her room. And only female staff were assigned to her now.

"Mom!" Jonathan called out. He ran over to Angela and embraced her in a huge bear hug. "Oh Mom, I've missed you so much." Jonathan submitted to her kisses.

"Oh Sweetheart, I've missed you so much too! I'm so glad you're home!" Angela pulled out of the hug to admire him.

"Wow, Jonathan, is that a real Louis Vuitton suitcase?" Sam asked, rather awed. She knew those things ran about two grand. Obviously Jonathan was doing very well for himself.

"Hey Sam!" Jon grabbed the petite brunette in a tight hug. He hadn't seen Sam in almost two years-the last time they'd gotten together was in London, when he'd gone to England on business. But they stayed in regular contact via email and texting and knew the goings-on in each other's lives. Well, everything but the engagement.

"Got a hug for me, kiddo?" Mona asked, as she approached Rainer. Rainer stood shell-shocked, unsure what to do when the elderly redhead wrapped her arms around his chest.

"Grandma, that's Rainer," Jon explained. I'm over here.

"You think I don't know that? I may be old, but I'm not senile. He looked like he needed a hug." Mona felt Rainer's strong, firm chest and sighed. "Ummmm, firm young, man flesh."

"Grandma!"

"It's okay," Rainer chuckled. "I am happy to be accepted by your family."

"Well guys, this is Rainer. Rainer, this is my mom, Angela, my stepsister, Samantha and you've already _met_ my grandmother, Mona."

The women crowded around Rainer, astounded by the man's beauty. Rainer had classical German features; deep blue eyes, blond hair and a strong chin. He was a bit taller than Jon and clearly both men worked out at the gym. Sam shook her head and smiled broadly. "Wow Jon, you ended up with a better looking guy than I ever did."

Jonathan observed Samantha. The joy and insouciance that she'd displayed during their reunion in London was gone. Even though she smiled with her mouth, her eyes remained sad. But she was still exquisitely beautiful. At forty-one, Samantha easily looked ten years younger. Her long brown hair was casually pulled back into a youthful ponytail. Jonathan could picture her standing by his side. That's what he wanted more than anything in the world and was unable to stop the words that popped out of his mouth next.

"Uh Sam, would you be my bridesmaid? Rainer and I are getting married."

"Married?!" she squealed. "Oh my goodness, you guys are engaged!? Congratulations. Yes, yes, yes, I'll be your bridesmaid." She threw her arms around both men and kissed them on the cheek.

Angela blinked rapidly a few times, completely stunned. Mona laughed. "A wedding? Oh that's great. I can just imagine the look on Tony's face, ha ha ha."

Angela smiled a bit uncomfortably and swallowed hard. "Married? You two are having a wedding?"

"Yeah Mom. Sorry for dropping it on you like that, but we just became engaged on the airplane. Rainer proposed and I guess, I was just too excited to keep it to myself." Jon noted his mother's concerned expression. "You're happy for me, aren't you Mom?"

"I … I …. I … of course I am," Angela breathed. She congratulated the couple and swallowed her misgivings. Tony might not take this news well at all. It had taken years for him to accept that Jonathan really was gay, and not merely confused. He'd suggested therapy when Jonathan was in college and had insisted on introducing him to several girls, surreptitiously, of course. It had been extremely difficult for Tony to understand how this was even possible, given that Jonathan had dated girls throughout high school. He'd even had one serious girlfriend in college; one they'd all hoped he'd marry. But on his twenty second birthday, Jonathan had come out of the closet, so to speak. Samantha hadn't been remotely surprised, saying she knew it all along. Same with Mona. Only Tony and Angela had been completely stunned, unable to comprehend the news. Sam's assertion of, "Dad, just look at him. I mean, come on, how could you _not_ know? I've suspected since the kid was ten." had been lost on Tony.

And now, Tony had come around. He grudgingly accepted Jon's homosexuality and even Rainer. But a wedding? Angela feared that might not go over too well.

"Mom, are you sure? You seem a bit stunned." Jon couldn't help but notice how pale his mother had become at the news.

"No, no, I'm fine with it. But, perhaps we should give Tony a few days to digest your return before we spring the good news on him, hmmm?"

Rainer and Jonathan exchanged a look and nodded at each other.

"Is this going to be difficult for your stepfather?" Rainer asked. He certainly was used to parental rejection.

"Nah, he'll come around eventually. At least I hope so," was Jonathan's reply.

"Come on, let's go home. Nicky and Marie are dying to see you," Sam declared. She stood between the two men and linked her arms with each of them. "I'm really happy to welcome you to our family, Rainer. I'm sure that we'll all be the best of friends." She made sure to make him feel extra welcome because she knew there'd be a bit of a rough patch once they got home and faced her dad. Dad. Well he'd just have to get used to the idea and she'd help the best she could.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five **_\- by jugglequeen_

"Mom, can we drive through Manhattan on our way home? Rainer has never been to New York before, and he's very excited about it", Jonathan asked Angela after all their suitcases and bags had been stowed in the car.

"Through the city?" Angela asked aghast. "Just for fun?" She hated driving her car downtown; traffic was crazy and most drivers reckless. If she had to travel through New York, she preferred a limo or a cab, but definitely not her brand new silver Jaguar XJ.

"Mom, please!" Jonathon looked at her beseechingly and she was reminded of the times he had tried to talk her into allowing him to have a snake as a pet when he was a little boy. Like then, she couldn't resist his blue eyes and engaging smile.

"Alright, alright. If it means so much to you. But I'm warning you, Rainer, this will cost us at least two hours on our way home. I better call Tony and tell him we'll be home later." She opened one of the doors, "Okay, everybody hop in."

"Thank you so much, Mrs. Bower. That's very nice of you." Jonathan had told Rainer that his mother had kept her first husband's name because of professional reasons even after her second marriage. Having a company named after her and being well-known in her business community as Angela Bower, she had preferred to keep things as they were. It had been a bitter pill for Tony to swallow, he had wanted her to become Mrs. Micelli, but he had also understood that she didn't love him any less staying Mrs. Bower.

Although Jonathan had introduced his mother as 'Angela' to him, Rainer was somewhat hesitant to call her by her first name. It was so uncommon to a German to address someone he had just met by the first name, especially if this 'someone' was the mother of his fiancé. Moreover, in Germany it was considered as an unwritten rule that it was the prerogative of the elder person or the woman to offer to be called by the first name, ... and both applied to Angela in this case. The German leopard couldn't change its spots so easily just because it had entered American territory, so Rainer had opted for the formal address, which sounded so odd to the American ear. His parents had met Jonathan a few times and had always insisted to be called 'Herr und Frau Herrmann' by him. Rainer thought it might have been different if his partner had been a young woman instead of a gay man. His parents had problems accepting that their eldest son was homosexual and although they had appreciated Jonathan's calm demeanor, his perfect manners, and his ability to speak German fairly well, the fact that he was their son's lover made it almost impossible for them to like him.

"Oh, please call me Angela, Rainer. You're going to be my son-in-law soon, we're family!" She hugged him vehemently and smiled at him, which brushed the last bits of his shyness away.

"Thanks, ... Angela!" he smiled timidly. This woman welcomed him with more devotion than his own mother on his rare visits at home.

Angela still wasn't happy to take the respectable detour through the city and had preferred to take the freeway right up North to Connecticut, but when she saw the excitement in Rainer's eyes when they crossed Williamsburg Bridge into Lower Manhattan, she was mollified. Rainer stared out of the window and one could read all kinds of emotions from his facial expression; surprise, fascination, disbelief, excitement, amazement, joy, ... He looked liked a little boy who walked around a candy store.

"Unglaublich!", the young man said to himself. Jonathan had smiled because of this remark but Angela hadn't understood. "What was that?" she asked.

"Oh sorry", Rainer apologized, "that was German, it accidently slipped out of my mouth, ... 'unbelievable' I wanted to say. This city is amazing. We have skyscrapers in Germany too, but not so many in such a small space. And all that traffic, and noise, and all these people, ..." he was speechless.

"This is nothing compared to rush hour traffic", Angela explained. "You definitely have to avoid the downtown area at that time, it's horrible", she told him, her eyes glued to the car in front of her. She would be relieved as soon as she was on the ramp of the expressway.

"Do you like travelling, Rainer?" Sam wanted to know.

"Well, I haven't travelled much yet. I was born in East Germany, we weren't allowed to travel where we wanted to. As a kid, I spent my summers in Hungary or Bulgaria. And when the wall had come down and we were finally free to go wherever we wanted, my parents just didn't feel comfortable travelling to Western countries, so I spent my summers in the same places as before. Only until I started to earn my own money, I could choose the destinations myself. At the age of 21, I spent my first paycheck on a trip to England. I worked as a junior copywriter for a little advertising agency at the time. I was so excited, I had to throw up the morning before I left for London!" He chuckled. "It really was a big deal for me."

"Where else did you go?" Mona asked, "Have you ever been to Paris? The City of Love?" She threw him a mischievous look.

"Grandma!" Jonathan admonished her.

"What? That's a completely innocent question!" Mona defended herself, "I just want to get to know your boyfriend, uhm, ... fiancé!"

"Innocent! Ha!" Jonathan exclaimed. He loved his grandmother but had been abashed by her so many times in the past that he wished age would've softened her propensity to let out lewd remarks.

"No", Rainer answered, "I don't speak French."

"But your English is really good", Sam acknowledged.

"Thank you, Samantha. I spent three months in a language school in Oxford. In the advertising business you don't get along without it. And I improved after having met Jonathan of course", Rainer smiled lovingly at his boyfriend and squeezed his hand.

"So the two of you speak English with each other?" Sam asked, "How come your German is so good then, Jonathan?"

"Sometimes we speak English, sometimes German. Depends on the situation. I made a lot of German friends and in everyday's business, when I talked to clients or employees, I had to speak German. It's a difficult language but once you figured out the basic grammar it's easier. What I'm really having problems with is this strange 'Du' and 'Sie' differentiation. They don't call each other by their first names like we do, that's why Rainer called you 'Mrs. Bower', Mom. So he taught me some German and I taught him English and we're both quite good in both languages."

"That's always been my strategy for learning another language, ... getting myself a boyfriend", Mona added to the conversation, "Learned some Spanish, French, and even Greek this way!" She grinned. "Angela, how come you're not fluent in Italian?" Mona nudged Angela's upper arm from the passenger's seat with her elbow.

"Ouch! Mother, would you please stop that! I have to drive!" Angela shouted at her mother.

"Oh come on, don't be such a sissy! Did he or did he not teach you some Italian? Whispering sensual words of love into your ear ... " Mona had so much fun, she missed having Angela as a target for her teasings in her retirement home.

"Mother!" Angela was upset. Did this woman never want to change? Despite her advanced aged, she was eager for love as ever and wouldn't spare her environment from her suggestive comments. On the other hand, she was glad that her mother still had a quick brain, was witty and adventurous, and hadn't turned into a senile, boring, grumpy old lady. And Angela did remember some Italian words Tony had whispered into her ear on several occasions, mainly when they had been exchanging caresses, so she eventually had to smile, ... not unnoticed by Mona.

"So! He did teach you some Italian, didn't he?" She started to laugh and finally everybody in the car joined in. Everybody except for Rainer of course, who didn't know anything about the bumpy road Tony and Angela had taken until they had finally gotten married. Not yet.

* * *

They arrived at 3344 Oak Hills Drive two and half hours later than scheduled, but Angela had called Tony from the airport, so he had postponed dinner. He had prepared enough lasagna to feed an entire baseball team, for it had been Jonathan's favorite meal as a kid. He was looking forward to having his son home although he wasn't so comfortable with him bringing his boyfriend along. He considered himself to be open-minded and he wasn't homophobic at all, but being a traditional Italian macho didn't exactly help to handle Jonathan's coming-out. Angela had accommodated them in Mona's previous apartment and Tony wasn't happy with it at all.

"The two of them together in one apartment?" he had asked aghast.

"Tony! They are adults, and they have been living together in Berlin. You're not really planning on giving them separate rooms as if they were pubescent teenagers, are you?" Angela had asked him blankly.

"No, of course not." Of course he had been planning on doing exactly that, but he had swallowed his misgivings and had made a good face to the matter. Now that Sam and her two kids had literally boarded the house, there was no other option but housing Jonathan and Rainer together in the apartment above the garage anyway.

When Tony heard the Jaguar pulling up the driveway, he jumped out of the backdoor to welcome them. He had last seen Jonathan on their trip to Berlin three years earlier and has missed him badly. And he was curious about Rainer, he had to admit.

"Tony!" Jonathan jumped out of the car, ran over to the man who had been his dad since he was eight years old, and gave him a bear hug.

"Hey, Pal-o-Mine! How are you? I missed you, Kid!" Tony squeezed him so tightly that Jonathan felt his ribcage being compressed.

"I missed you too! I want you to meet somebody." Jonathan beckoned Rainer over. "This is Rainer, my boyfriend", he proudly introduced. He would've wished to call him 'my fiancé' but stuck to Angela's suggestion to break the news to Tony very gently, in easy-to-digest servings. "Rainer, this is Tony. My Dad!" Rainer knew that Tony wasn't Jonathan's biological father; they had shared a lot of childhood memories during the last two years of being a couple.

"Hello Rainer, nice to finally meet you. Welcome to Connecticut!" Tony offered Rainer a handshake.

"Thank you, ... Tony", Rainer replied. Since Jonathan hadn't told him Tony's last name, it was easier for him to call him just 'Tony' than it had been calling Angela just 'Angela'.

"Come on in, everybody. You must be all pretty tired, I guess."

"It's only early afternoon in Europe, Tony, and we slept well in the plane, so actually we're not very tired. Or are you, Rainer?"

"No, I'm so excited about everything! I couldn't sleep even if I wanted to."

Rainer's eyes were beaming and his cheeks were glowing. Leaving his home country had been a great step for him, but being welcomed so warmly and openly by this adorable family made things a lot easier for him. He still was a little apprehensive about working for The Bower Agency in New York. The 'big boss' would be around, not far away on the other side of the Atlantic, but in the same office as he. He had already worked for the German affiliation of The Bower Agency in Berlin as a freelance copywriter, that was how he had met Jonathan, but working in the company's headquarter would be another cup of tea. Everybody in Berlin had always spoken very highly and respectfully of Angela Bower, the company founder, and people had become nervous being told to give her a call. That was another reason for him having difficulties calling her just 'Angela'; she was a pre-eminent in advertising, widely known for her successful campaigns. She wasn't managing director anymore, Jonathan would be given this position, yet she was the powerful chairwoman of the board and still meddled in the operative business of the agency once in a while. But the way she had called him 'my future son-in-law' had sounded so affectionate and kind that he had already put away some of his anxieties. He would start a new life right here in Connecticut, with his awesome husband-to-be and these bunch of people; the friendly, short brunette who had admired his leather suitcase, the red-haired elder lady with the dry wit, his future boss who didn't seem bossy at all, and the Italian man whose heart he obviously still had to win over.

Rainer was very much looking forward to what his future life had in store for him.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six -** _by kirsty2765_

The house was filled with laughter, noise and voices of people speaking at once. Marie and Nicky who were already in their PJ's jumped around Jonathan. They hadn't seen him a while and they had never met Rainer before. It was a little difficult for Angela to explain the "extraordinary" relationship between Jonathan and Rainer, but the kids took it lightly and couldn't find anything special about it. Marie of course, as the elder child, had heard about homosexuality before, and in her own father's practice there were some patients she knew were gay. But as every child she had her own ideas about couples with the same sex and she wasn't keeping the opinion by herself.

"You don't wear a dress, Rainer?" She let out after hugging the both man. For a short moment an awkward silence followed. It was so quiet that they almost heard a pin drop. Than an uncontrollable laughter broke out. Even Tony couldn't bite back his grin and at this moment the last ice, if there ever was one, broke.

"Ok, sweetheart, I swear Rainer never wears dresses and if I can breathe again I'll try to put it across to you, Marie." Jonathan almost choked with laughter when thinking of his handsome Rainer wearing women's clothes. None of them could stop giggling until Tony got them all back to ground.

"I need some help in the kitchen for finishing dinner, volunteers go ahead!" He shouted through the noisy crowd.

"I will help you, I'm a good cook." Rainer immediately jumped from the couch to make his escape into a quieter area. He followed Tony through the swinging door.

"So, you are the cook? I thought I taught Jonathan some of my special recipes or does he like German food now?" Tony asked the young man.

"No, Tony, to tell the truth, people of my generation prefer Italian or Mediterranean food as well. This "pork knuckle with sauerkraut" thing is a cliché. I haven't eaten it in years. My mother cooked it when I was little boy. And Jonathan and I cook together, and we do invite friends very often."

"Speaking of your parents, how are things between you and them?" Tony asked him. Rainer sighed. He didn't really like that topic. It gave him a weird feeling.

"Hm, things with me and my mother are fine, she is resigned to the fact. But my father… he can't accept my way of life and our relationship is highly strained." Rainer shrugged his shoulders and bit his bottom lip. "I wish he could be a little more… like you, Tony. Jonathan has told me so many things from his childhood and every second word was "Tony this and Tony that". For me it is that I know you better than my own father."

"Yeah, we really had a good time when Jonathan and Sam were little. But please don't misconstrue things about me. Angela and I had some trouble too when we heard about Jonathan's… um… inclination. We always thought he would get married and build a family. In some way I can understand your father but most importantly, we want Jonathan to be happy and satisfied with his life. And if he needs a man for his happiness, I'm ok with that."

"So, you both are accepting of us?" Rainer asked Tony carefully.

"I guess so, more or less. Angela more than me I think, I'm a little old fashioned but I never want to lose him because I'm unable to accept your relationship. So I do my best to get used to it."

"That's a better way of thinking than my father's. I'm so happy with Jonathan and I thank God for him every day we can be together. Before I met him I thought I would never find such a special man like him."

"Don't tell me too much about it. There are some things parents don't need to hear. And boy, it doesn't mean that I don't crack jokes over you from time to time, that's what you have to get used to."

Tony wanted to lift the mood. Even he could understand that this guy needed to clear things between them. Rainer also was relieved. He was scared about the unavoidable talk with Tony and happy now that he got over and done with it.

"I guess I can handle your jokes."

"Back to dinner, Rainer, could you think of a dessert?"

"What about Zabaglione?"

"You can prepare a Zabaglione?" Tony was astonished.

"We have a "thermomix" in Germany, with that it's done in minutes." Rainer tried to explain his easy way to make a wonderful desert.

"What the hell is a thermomix?" Tony said clueless.

"It's the German answer to a Kitchenaid. But it can do much more. You'll get to see it when our stuff comes from Berlin. It has been shipped."

They worked hand in hand now and Tony was at least excited to find someone who shared his interests in cooking although he didn't need a miraculous machine for a wonderful dinner. A sharp knife would be enough for him. The kitchen was too small for that many people so the women set the table in the dining room. It was one of the biggest family dinners they ever had and everyone was in a cheerful mood. There was so much to tell and to talk about that they almost forgot the children.

"Nicky, Marie it's almost ten and you both have to go to school tomorrow. Your beds are waiting, go upstairs. Clean your teeth and don't trick on me, I'll test your breathe." Sam tried to push the children to their rooms. To her relief they stood up and climbed up the stairs. Moments later Sam was on her way upstairs, too but Jonathan went after her and held her back.

"Sam, I had no time today to ask you about things between you and Oliver. Are you ok?"

"As ok as I can be and I've begun to ask myself if it isn't better for me to stay here and start a new life. I don't want to go back to England."

"But you still miss him?"

"Yes, I do." Sam whispered and lowered her head. Jonathan took her in an embrace.

"You can manage that. You're strong."

"What about you, Jonathan, you're happy with him and your situation? I mean, you'll never have kids and… I don't know, you don't miss that?"

"From time to time I'll think about it but maybe I can borrow yours for a while."

A wild yelling came from the bathroom that Sam almost had to stick the fingers into her ears.

"You can borrow them forever." Sam sighed and hurried upstairs.

Jonathan went back to the dining room. Angela and Tony were cleaning the table. Mona leaned back with a glass wine in her hand. "Too bad, so many good looking guys around here and neither of you invited one for me." Mona grumbled.

"Mother, the next time we'll find an appropriate man for you, but I don't know so many men your age." Angela sighed agonized. Would her mother ever stop that?

"Who said something about my age? I don't want someone that old."

Tony and Angela exchanged glances and rolled their eyes.

"Mona, I guess I should take you back to your residence. Now that all your grandchildren are back in town, we will pick you up more often." Tony wouldn't admit it but he missed his freaky mother-in-law since she left Oakhills drive. He never forgot her endeavor bringing Angela and him together and she had always been a good friend for him. He grabbed her coat and Mona slipped into it. When they reached the car and Mona managed to sit down she let out one last comment. "Tony, it was a funny evening but now I'm glad that I don't have to stay in that chaos."

She closed her eyes and was fall asleep immediately. After a short drive through the quiet streets of Fairfield Tony finally arrived at the retirement home. While Mona slept so safe and sound he didn't want to awake her. He took her on his arms and carried her through the entrance area. The nurse who had the night watch looked up at them and a tired smile went over her face.

"A strenuous day for her, hm, please bring her to the room. I'll look after her later."

After reaching Mona's room he laid her down and whispered a good night in her ear.

"You wouldn't undress me?" Mona murmured half asleep.

"Mona! Sleep well." Tony shook his head and left the room. He passed the nurse at the entrance again but was held back from her.

"Mr. Micelli, a moment please."

"What?"

"Mr. Micelli, I have to say something to you. We have lots of difficulties with your mother-in-law in here. You know we tried already surrounding her with female staff but it only gets worse."

"I'd say! It's not a good idea to keep her away from male staff members. Isn't there a male caregiver who can deal with her? A guy who can give her the right answer without feeling offended?" Tony panicked at the thought of an upcoming conflict with the management of the retirement home. As if he didn't already have enough trouble with that chaos in his family.

"Someone like you… hm? Do you need a job? Mr. Micelli, it's not just the staff. When Mona had this high blood pressure last month and was treated by the doctor, she tried to seduce him in a way I … hm… I can hardly describe!" The doctor quit his job and he will leave this lovely establishment in four months."

"I'm really sorry about that, all that I can say is that she was always like this. But I'm going to talk to my wife. Maybe she can exert a controlling influence on her. I can't promise you anything.'' Tony gave her an apologetic smile.

''That would be nice. I don't want to put you in any trouble but something should happen. Have a nice evening, Mr. Micelli.''

''You, too. Bye.'' Tony left the retirement home and went to his car. It was already past midnight when he got home. Everyone was in bed except Angela. When he entered the living room, she was sitting on the couch looking tired and exhausted. Tony decided not to tell her anything about Mona's suggestive manners. It had to wait until tomorrow.

''You're waiting up? Sweetheart, you should get more sleep. Things are going to be busy for us.''

''I couldn't sleep without you." She stood up and crossed the room. Tony pulled her into an embrace and held her tightly. Angela closed her eyes for a moment. Both seemed to get a new energy from that short intimate moment they hadn't time to share during the whole stressful day.

"Let's sleep now, there is a lot to do tomorrow."

They climbed the stairs and entered their bedroom. Angela started to undress herself and Tony brushed his teeth when he heard an unwelcome noise. The doorbell rang. The doorbell rang twice. Tony spit out the toothpaste.

"Who the hell has the nerve to ring our doorbell at this hour?" Tony opened the bedroom door but Samantha was already on the stairs.

"Stay Dad, I'm going to the door." And she jumped down and opened the front door. Her eyes widened when she finally realized who was standing outside in the dark night.

"Oliver… what are you doing here?"


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven** \- _by jugglequeen_

Knock. Knock.

Sam heard a timid knocking on the door. She had retreated instantly into her room - her child's room - after her unfaithful husband had shown up at the doorstep. She had left him standing there, had turned on the spot, and had scooted upstairs. She knew that her behaviour wasn't very grown-up, that burying herself in her teenage room wouldn't solve any of her problems, but it felt so good to lie in bed and pull the bed-cover over her head. This room had been her sanctuary from the moment Angela had first shown her around her new home all those years ago.

Another soft knock. "Samantha?"

She didn't answer. She wasn't sure whether she wanted to face reality just yet. She'd prefer to hide under this blanket for the rest of her life and to never come out again. But she also knew that the person standing in front of the door wouldn't leave her alone.

"Come on in, Angela," she said eventually with a sigh.

The door was opened slowly and Angela peeked through the crack. She spotted Sam on the bed and felt her heart ache. She could share her pain so well. She knew exactly how it felt when a marriage started to deteriorate, and how difficult it was to accept it; especially when kids were involved. She sat on the bed next to the body showing under the blanket.

"Sam? If you want to talk, ..." Angela offered.

Sam folded back the cover and sat up.

"How could he do this to me, Angela? How could he betray my trust like this? I thought he loved me. And you don't do such a thing to someone you love, do you?"

Angela stroked Sam's hair. "You need to talk to him, Sam. He's come all the way from England to talk to you. He wants to work this out and you should at least give it a try."

"He slept with another woman, Angela. How could this ever be worked out? Will I ever be able to trust him again?"

"It _is_ possible to earn back trust. If one is really earnest in trying."

"Do you really think so?"

"I know from experience, Dear!" Angela swallowed. Going back to one of the worst times of her life wasn't easy. Tony had once betrayed her trust, and it had almost split them apart. "If I hadn't been able to trust your father again, we wouldn't be married for more than twenty years now."

"It was different with the two of you. You weren't married," Sam stated unemotionally. She didn't see why Angela's and her father's story had anything to do with her miserable situation.

"Do you really think it hurt any less because we weren't married? We also had a commitment, albeit an unspoken one. He knew that I loved him and that I wanted to be with him. I said I would wait until after his graduation, when he would finally be ready to love me back. And while I was waiting for him, he started to date someone else."

"Oh yeah," Sam started to remember, "that blond girl. What was her name again?"

"Kathleen," Angela hissed through gritted teeth. The name still gave her shivers despite all the years which had gone by.

"Dad dated another woman while you were together?" Sam couldn't believe what she had just heard.

"Well, you know how weird our relationship was. We weren't exactly an official couple, but ... , well, ... I somehow figured it was just a question of time until we would be. So, when he confessed to me that he had slept with Kathleen, I felt betrayed as if I was his wife, although I wasn't actually. And he felt it too. He wasn't happy with the situation, but he just couldn't help it."

"Oh come on, Angela ... _he couldn't help it_ ... of course he could! What could have been the reason for hurting you so badly if he really loved you?"

In her mind Angela went back all these years to the moment she had realized that there was no other option but to take the chance of losing Tony. For her it had been obvious, more obvious than to him, that he had to find out whether he could be in a romantic relationship with her despite the difference in their social status. And the only way for him to learn was to see whether he could be in love with somebody else. With a college girl and part time waitress, who lived in a small city apartment and came from a similar background. Someone who was so much more like him, especially compared to Angela - the business woman and company founder, who lived in her own house and came from a highly educated, well-off and elitist background. All these differences hadn't mattered to her, not one bit, but they had mattered a lot to Tony. Angela had understood that she had to give him the freedom to find out whether he could live without her. It had been risky, for had he truly fallen in love with Kathleen, she would've lost him. But he hadn't! He had come back to her, and they were a happy couple ever since.

"Sometimes a man has to make sure he's with the right woman, especially when he's with a strong woman. And you are a very strong woman, Sam," Angela tried to explain. "Maybe Oliver was looking for some kind of acknowledgement? An acknowledgement he didn't get from you? I'm not saying that what he's done is okay, don't get me wrong. I only want you to think about what might have gone wrong in your marriage, for it always takes two to harm a relationship." Angela shrugged, looking into Sam's questioning eyes. "You have to find out what happened, if you don't want to throw your marriage into the garbage right away."

"You really think I should talk to him?" Sam was still indecisive, although she knew exactly why Oliver had been dissatisfied lately in their marriage. They had been fighting a lot about almost everything - the kids, the household, financial matters, their relation to one another. But still, cheating on him would've never come to her mind. She still loved him, despite their current problems. She believed that in a marriage ups and downs were inevitable, and only because they were in a down phase at the moment, didn't mean she gave up on them. "Maybe you're right, Angela. I guess I should talk to him. He's my husband after all, and we're responsible for two children. But not today. I'll talk to him tomorrow. I have to get my emotions under control first, otherwise I slap him in the face the moment I see him."

Angela caressed the young woman's cheek. "That's very mature of you, Sam. You've really grown into a responsible, strong and very kind person. I love you!"

"Thank you, Angela. I love you too. You've always been my role model. I've never met a woman as strong and invincible such as you. Dad is lucky to have you. I don't even want to think about how he would've ended up if he had stayed with that Kathleen chick." Sam grinned.

"Neither do I, Sam, neither do I."


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight** \- _by jugglequeen_

While the women were upstairs in Sam's room, Tony shoved his son-in-law into the kitchen and made him sit down at the little round table. He opened the fridge, took out two cans of beer, put one in front of Oliver, and opened the other one for himself. After the first big gulp and a long moment of silence, he started to speak.

"You've got some nerve to show up here in the middle of the night, unannounced."

Oliver tore his hair. He stared at the beer can in front of him. "I know," he finally said, "I'm sorry, Tony. But I just couldn't stand being alone in the house. I missed Sam and the kids." He not only sounded very remorseful, but also was a picture of misery.

"Well, ... you're not completely innocent of that situation!" Tony accused him.

"I know," he now opened the beer and drank it down in one single gulp. "And I hate myself for that," he croaked out in a raw voice.

"Another beer?"

Oliver only nodded. He was very ashamed of what he had done. He remembered his father-in-law on their wedding day, telling him he would break both his arms should he ever mistreat his daughter. And now he had done just that. But his father-in-law didn't break his arms, instead he fetched him a second beer. He was relieved. He knew that Tony loved his daughter to bits, and that his threat hadn't been meant as a joke initially.

"Tony, look, ... I'm so sorry. I wish I could undo my mistake."

"Don't tell me, Olly, tell Samantha. She was devastated when she arrived here a few weeks ago. And Marie and Nicky didn't understand anything about what's going on! They still believe they're on some kind of vacation here. She's never spoken ill of you in front of them."

Oliver couldn't hardly keep his composure. With a tearful voice he said, "She's a terrific woman!"

"Yes, she is," Tony agreed. "And she doesn't deserve to be treated that way."

"You're right. You're absolutely right. She doesn't." Oliver took another sip of beer. "I know you won't believe me, but I never meant to hurt her. I love her! I know _you_ would never do such a thing to the woman you love." He looked over to Tony with an earnest expression on his face. He had always admired his father-in-law, especially the way he managed his family. Sam had told him parts of the story of Angela's and her father's crooked road to one another. The way Tony filled his position as head of the Bower-Micelli household impressed Oliver, given the fact that he had first come into this family as the housekeeper. He had always tried to emulate him, and felt like a downright failure now. "You're the perfect husband, Tony. You'd never mistreat Angela, let alone betray her."

"Wellllll, ..." Tony sucked in his breath, "_never_ is a strong word!"

Oliver looked at Tony bewildered. He was puzzled and tried to process what Tony had just said. "Wait! ... Did you-? ... No! You didn't! ... I mean, you coudn't have, ..." he stammered. "Do you have anything stronger than this?" He pointed at the empty beer can. "A whiskey maybe?"

"I think we still have the Scottish single malt your parents gave us when they were here last summer," Tony answered. "Wait, I'll get the bottle." He could use some as well, knowing that what he was about to tell Oliver wasn't going to roll off his tongue easily. Some smooth liquor would ease the tension a bit. So after finding the bottle of 16-year-old Bruichladdich and pouring the golden liquid into two tumblers, he started with his confession.

"Oliver, not many people know the story I'm going to tell you now." He coughed slightly.

"Don't tell me you cheated on your wife, Tony! It'll destroy my faith in the perfect marriage," Oliver begged.

"Oh, Angela and I do have the perfect marriage. It happened before."

"I don't understand. You have to be married to commit adultery, don't you?"

"Yes, that's true. But you can hurt the woman you love without being married to her when you start dating someone else." Tony could read in Oliver's eyes that he didn't understand a word he was saying. He sighed. He had almost forgotten how complicated their former relationship looked to the outsider, and he knew that he could talk for hours and hours and Olly still wouldn't fully understand the intricate and brittle structure their love once had been. But that wasn't his point anyway, so he came right to the core of his storytelling. "What I'm trying to tell you, Son, is the fact that I can sympathise with you in a way. I also made a terrible mistake once, something I would've liked to undo more than anything. And if forgiveness hadn't been bestowed on me, I wouldn't be sitting here in front of you right now."

"Okay, I understand. Then why did you do what you did?" Oliver started to see his father-in-law differently. He wasn't the perfect husband and father he had always believed him to be. Sam had only spoken highly of him, as if he was some kind of saint. And he himself had only seen him behave perfectly, always knowing the right thing to do and the right words to say. But he was human after all. Fallible, like everyone else. On the contrary, Tony's open honesty compelled respect from him, and so Oliver was impressed once again, just from a different angle.

"I didn't know at the beginning," Tony started to explain. "Angela knew, but I didn't. She understood that this was a necessary test whether our love would withstand everyday challenges. See, we were on a very different, and people like us normally didn't marry, at least not one another," he chuckled, then took another sip of whiskey. "She called it 'a part of our journey', I'd rather call it 'a dumb idea'. I dated someone else just to heal my injured male pride, that's all."

Oliver swallowed hard at Tony's last words. His male pride had also been injured. Had that been the reason for why he had gotten involved with one of his patients? It hadn't been because he loved her, for sure. It had only been physical, no emotions were involved. His emotions were with his family, his beautiful wife and his adorable children. He had fallen in love with Samantha Micelli from America the second he had first seen her at the bedside of one of his elderly patients. She had come over from the States to take care of her great grandmother, a grumpy but very classy lady he had been treating for quite a while as the family doctor. Well, she had babbled something about Ms Robinson being her father's boss' grandmother, but he hadn't understood, and he hadn't cared. He had just been amazed by her beauty, her funny accent and the tender way she talked to his patient.

After his second domiciliary visit they had started to date. Oliver had never been together with an American before, so it had surprised him that apart from the same language, they didn't have so much in common. Samantha drank coffee, he drank tea; she had pancakes with maple syrup for breakfast, he had eggs, bacon, beans, tomatoes and mushrooms; she watched baseball, he watched soccer; she loved to walk around in sneakers, he hated it. And they even spoke a different language at times. So he had hesitated shortly when she had asked for the _john_, telling her that in England they called it the _loo_. She had amused herself about the way he pronounced _tomaahto_ and always excused himself for everything. For her things were _awesome_, whereas he usually commented things to be _lovely_. It also took her a while to get used to driving on the 'wrong' side of the street, and to fully understand the nature of monarchy, with all the different titles of nobility and the prerogatives resulting from that. In America 'all men were created equal', so the way British people accepted a privileged class within their society felt strange to her for a long time. But despite these differences, they had fallen in love very quickly, so Sam had stayed even after Angela's grandmother had passed away. They had married shortly hereafter and had started their family.

"You know what, Dad?" Oliver sometimes called Tony 'Dad', especially when he sought advice from him in family matters, "Sam and I have only been mother and father in the past years. We've ceased to be husband and wife, let alone lovers. ... You know what I mean?"

"Spare me the details, Oliver, but I guess I know what you're alluding to." Tony wriggled about on his chair, his daughter's sex life wasn't exactly something he was comfortable talking about.

"I didn't feel like a man anymore, just like the person who was earning the bread. I felt as if I was only there to mow the lawn, fix the dripping faucet or make the school sandwiches for the kids, but Sam didn't see me as her husband anymore." He buried his face in his hands. It all sounded so corny. He couldn't believe that they had walked into the stereotype trap of couples becoming a family - family duties consumed so much time and energy that romance and love were neglected and the relationship suffered.

"And this ... _patient_ of yours ... made you feel like a man again, I suppose" Tony added tonelessly.

"Yes, she did. But that was all! I broke up with her. I promise!"

"Don't tell me, Oliver, tell your wife."

"Do you think she will listen to me?" Oliver didn't sound very positive.

"I can't tell. A woman's mind is hard to assess. You have to give it a try. But not tonight anymore. I think you should spend the night at the motel down the street, get a few hours of sleep, and recover from that long flight. Tomorrow morning you'll come back and talk to Sam. I bet the women have been talking about the same stuff, so maybe you'll have a common ground to start from. Right now, we all need to sort out our thoughts and emotions."

"Thank you, Tony. For listening to me. And for not breaking my arms," Oliver said and even managed to smile slightly.

* * *

"Hi, Honey," Angela said, walking down the stairs. Tony had just locked the front door and turned around. As always, he was amazed by his wife floating down the stairs in her bathrobe. It wasn't the pink one he had first met her in, but still a delightful view. "Where's Oliver?"

"I've just put him on a cab to the motel. He's going to come back tomorrow morning to see Sam. Could you talk to her, Love?"

"Yes. She's very confused, Tony. She wants to kiss him and slap him in the face at the same time. A feeling I'm quite familiar with," she grinned.

"What were you talking about?"

"Trust. Betrayal. Forgiveness. And you?"

"Pride. Stupidity. Regret. So, what did you advise her to do?" the worried father in him wanted to know.

"Nothing in particular. I only recommended an open and honest talk. What will come out of it, nobody knows. They might break up." Angela sighed. "What he's done is almost unforgivable."

Tony pulled Angela close and looked deeply into her eyes. "Then I can call myself incredibly lucky that you've forgiven me."

"You can't compare our situation then to theirs today, but, ..." she placed a tender kiss on his mouth, "you're right. You are lucky!" A triumphant grin showed up on her face. "But I also feel lucky for having you in my life. Forgiving you was one of my hardest decisions, but also one of my best!"

"Oh yeah?"

"Oh yeah!" She flung her arms around his neck.

"It's nice to hear it once in a while."

"I know." She twisted a strand of her blond hair coquettishly around her index finger. "How about we go upstairs and I'll _show_ you?"

"What a swell idea!" Tony started to kiss Angela passionately, and both indulged in their embrace completely. After a tough day and so many unpleasant problems talking with Sam and Oliver, it simply eased the tension to feel the other's love. Tony loosened the belt of Angela's bathrobe and just started to undo the buttons of her nightgown, when the silence was interrupted by a slight cough. Both froze and turned towards the direction the cough had come from. Rainer stood in the frame of the swinging door to the kitchen.

"Oops, Rainer, I didn't know you were there!" Tony stammered clumsily. Angela fumbled at her nightgown and tightened the belt around her waist. "Sorry," she whispered, embarrassed to the bone.

"Oh, I'm the one who's sorry. I didn't mean to disturb you. It's just that I can't sleep, and the fridge in our apartment is still empty, and I was thirsty, ..." Rainer tried to excuse himself.

"It's okay, Rainer. No problem. Just help yourself. There's water in the kitchen, there should be some soda in the fridge, and a few cans of beer. And on the table you'll find a half-full bottle of a great single malt whiskey," Tony concluded his list. "But, ... if you don't mind, my wife and I are going to leave you alone now." He took Angela's hand and dragged her up the stairs.

Rainer looked after them with a smile on his face. It was obvious what these two were up to, and it amazed him. He had seen his parents kiss a few times when he was a kid, but since they were an older couple, they had never exchanged caresses, let alone passionate kisses. Until today, he had thought that passion slowly vanished with age until there was nothing left, and that older couples only lived next to one another instead of together. Tony and Angela proved that it didn't necessarily have to be like that, and it made him hopeful for his own relationship with Jonathan.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9 - **_by stayathomemum_

"You've got to talk to him, Sam!" Tony insisted. "The poor pathetic slob is at the door again. You can't keep sending him away." Tony and Sam had been enjoying a father-daughter breakfast like the old days. Oliver's knocks at the door had just killed Sam's appetite.

"Watch me."

"Samantha. You have to set a good example for your kids. They miss their father."

"Me, set a good example? I'm not the one who cheated on my spouse. Besides, the kids spent time with him today and yesterday. Right now, they're at school, so I see no reason to let Oliver in. He can knock until his knuckles are blue for all I care. I'm done with him." Before her father could protest, Sam snuck out the back kitchen door and headed up to Mona's old apartment. She hoped that the 'boys' were home.

The 'boys', Rainer and Jonathan had been most sympathetic to her plight and she felt comfortable baring her soul to them because of their non-judgemental attitude. In only a short time, the three of them had become inseparable and could talk for hours about anything and nothing at all. They knew all about her conflicted feelings toward Oliver, as well as her feelings of failure about marriage itself. Her first marriage to Hank had been an absolute disaster. Eloping rebelliously at the tender age of nineteen had been the single most idiotic thing that Samantha had ever done. The marriage had barely lasted a year. Hank's insistence on following his so-called career as a puppeteer had put the couple in the poor house. Samantha had had to temporarily drop out of school and take a waitressing job just to make ends meet. She'd begun to resent her new, young husband who stayed home all day making stupid dolls talk. The bitterness had grown, and when Sam had finally voiced her desire for Hank to return to medical school, he'd become incensed and accused her of siding with his parents against him. The accusations and frequent fights had destroyed the budding relationship. Neither kid had been remotely ready for marriage.

When Sam met Oliver in her late twenties, she'd possessed a bit more maturity and experience. And they'd had a good relationship, or so she thought. The bile still rose to her throat whenever she pictured him in bed with another woman. "You bastard!" she seethed beneath her breath. Yeah, he could knock all day.

Samantha ran up the stairs to the boys' apartment and rapped insistently at the door. Rainer opened it, still in his bathrobe and holding a cup of coffee. "Hi," he said.

"Can I come in? Right now?" Sam pushed past the baffled German and slammed the door behind her.

"Is something wrong?" Rainer asked her.

"Oliver's here and I don't want to see him. Can I hide with you guys for a bit?"

"You can hide with me. Jon is at work. Would you like a coffee?" Rainer didn't wait for her reply. He padded over to the kitchen in his bare feet and poured her a cup.

"How come you're not at work, Mr. Creative Director?" she asked, peering up at him from the rim of her mug.

"I must go apartment finding today and am meeting with an agent," he replied. "I'm going to meet Jon in Chelsea Village."

"You guys are moving all the way out there? I was kinda hoping you'd stay in Connecticut," Sam said with a sad pout.

"It's the gay village, Samantha. Jon and I want to live where nobody will bother us."

"Nobody's going to bother you in Connecticut. It's 2014 for goodness' sake!"

"You think everybody is accepting of us? Look at my parents. Even your father isn't very happy about our wedding. Jon and I have been harassed many times. We cannot hold hands in the street or show each other affection. Maybe in Chelsea Village it will be different." Rainer's deep blue eyes met Sam's sad ones and he patted her hand. "And of course you'll come visit us."

"Of course. That is, if I'm still in Connecticut. Oliver wants me to come home."

"Oliver, right. He is at the house?"

"He's trying."

"And you're not going to talk to him?"

"I don't want to."

"I'm sorry. You can hide here until he goes away," Rainer told her. "I just don't understand it."

"Understand what, Rainer?"

"How your husband could harm his children this way. By cheating on their mother, he risks tearing your family apart. It is very sad."

"Don't I know it?" Sam looked away from Rainer—she felt as though his eyes could read all of her secrets.

"If I was lucky enough to have children, I would never hurt their mother. They would be the most important thing in my life. I would do anything for them. Oliver is a fool," Rainer declared vehemently.

Samantha blinked in surprise; she'd never seen Rainer become demonstrably upset. He was a cool cucumber that one, feathers unruffled in the face of immigrating to a new country, starting a new job, planning a wedding and meeting his fiancé's family. But talk of children had him shaking his mug and spilling coffee on his robe.

"Oliver is a fool," Sam agreed. "Uh Rainer? Do you and Jonathan want kids? You appear to have some rather strong feelings about the role of fathers."

Rainer gaped at her and looked away, his face a deep shade of crimson.

"I'm sorry, Rainer. I didn't mean to intrude on your privacy. I'm kind of like my dad that way—sticking my Roman nose where it doesn't belong."

"It is alright Samantha. We are becoming good friends, you and I. The truth is that yes, we would like children one day." Rainer's eyes became moist with emotion and he gave a deep sigh filled with longing. "It may never happen for Jon and me."

"Don't say that. You don't know. You could adopt or use a surrogate or something! You and Jonathan would be great parents," she reassured him.

Rainer nodded at her sadly. Samantha wanted to say something comforting but the sudden, insistent banging at the front door made both her and Rainer jump.

"Oliver," she hissed.

"I can send him away," Rainer said. He was strong and fit and felt confident in his ability to act as bodyguard for the petite brunette before him. Then again, he wondered if she even needed a bodyguard—her dark flashing eyes and flaring nostrils revealed a fighting spirit within.

"No, it's okay. I have to deal with the asshat eventually," she replied. Samantha marched toward the door and opened it just as Oliver was about to knock again. His fist remained suspended in mid-air.

"What the hell do you want now?" Sam asked him.

"We need to talk." Oliver whispered, subdued now. His hands ran through his oily dark hair making it stick up in every direction.

"You look like shit," Sam remarked. "Rainer, do you mind if we hijack your living room? I don't want Dad to listen in at the main house."

"Be my guests," Rainer said. "I am going to get ready and meet the real estate agent. And Samantha, if you need anything …" he trailed off.

"Gotcha, thanks Rainer." Sam gave Rainer a warm smile, then turned to face her cheating husband.

"I hope your knuckles are sore Oliver. You've got a lot of nerve banging at the door like that!"

"Samantha please. I didn't travel all this distance to be told I look like shit."

"Well you do!" she said, her voice harsh.

"That's because I can't sleep. Sam, please, please, can you find it in your heart to forgive me? I know I messed up. But it's over with her. You've got believe me, Darling."

"Dammit Oliver!" Sam stood up and paced, feeling very much like a trapped animal in the small confines of the small living room. "How could you sleep with her? How? Was I not interesting enough in bed? Is that it? Do you find me unattractive now that I've given birth to two children? Why, why, why?!" Sam could feel herself sounding hysterical and shrill but she didn't care. She'd been too placid about Oliver's unfaithfulness until now.

"It wasn't you, it was me," was Oliver's trite reply. That earned an angry eye roll from his wife so he continued. "She seduced me, Sam. The romance in our marriage had fizzled and I felt empty inside. When Cassie showed me interest, it felt good. I'd been missing that from you. You were more focused on the kids than on me," he finished, eyes downcast. Oliver was afraid of Sam's reaction to his words and rightly so, for he was well acquainted with his wife's Italian temper.

"I was too focused on the kids? I wasn't showing you enough interest?" Samantha repeated, her tone low and dangerous.

"What I mean Darling is that _"

"Save it Oliver! Save it for your lawyer. You can tell him how Cassie 'made you feel good' while I was busy parenting your children! Tell your lawyer how you were turned off by my stretch marks after Nicky's birth. Tell your lawyer how you pressured me to lose weight two weeks after giving birth. Tell your lawyer how I refused when you offered me plastic surgery so that I could live up to your ideal of beauty," Samantha seethed.

"Darling please, I'm so sorry," Oliver begged. "You are beautiful. You are slim. You're perfect and I love you just the way you are. I'll never cheat on you again, I promise. Please come home. I need you. The clinic needs you."

"Oh that reminds me, be sure to tell your lawyer about all of the unpaid hours I performed for you at the clinic. You saved a fortune on not hiring another nurse. I'm done, Oliver." Sam stood up, the weight of indecision finally shed from her shoulders.

"But Darling, what about the children?"

"My lawyer will contact your lawyer, Oliver. I'd like you to leave now." Samantha opened the front door and waited, arms crossed.

"But, but, but," he sputtered. Oliver put his hands on Sam's shoulders and tried to hug her. She stiffened against him and turned away.

"Don't," she warned him. "I am so angry right now—I want to tear you from limb to limb for what you've done! You have no idea how much control I'm exerting so that I don't kill you.

"Your father isn't going to be pleased about this," Oliver threw out as a last desperate attempt. "Two failed marriages, Sam?"

Her nostrils flared but she didn't reply. Samantha shoved Oliver out the door and slammed it in his face.


	10. Intermezzo

_Hello, everyone, we had almost forgotten the thirtieth anniversary of 'Who's the Boss'! Almost, that is! _

_So, together we stayed up the whole night and wrote a short chapter to cherish our beloved most favorite show. This is an international cooperation between Germany and Canada._

* * *

**Intermezzo - **_by kirsty2765, jugglequeen, and stayathomemum_

The day when Oliver showed up and talked to Sam was an awful day for the Bower-Micelli clan. Sam had been so angry and was in an atrocious mood. Jon and Rainer were out to inspect some apartments. Tony and Angela meanwhile felt as though a bomb had gone off in the house. With all that trouble they had almost forgotten the most important day of their life. The day they never forgot to celebrate. The day they took the chance and faced the wind. The day they started a brand new life. September, the twentieth, 1984. The day they met for the first time. It had been thirty years now. Thirty! An unbelievable number. Together they had been through so many things. Angela's divorce from her first husband Michael. The time she had been fired from her former job at Wallace&amp;McQuade. Her self-employment with her own agency. Tony had been at college in his late thirties. His graduation as a teacher. His first job in Iowa when they almost gotten separated. Not to forget his short dalliance with another woman. They had managed so many difficult times but also a lot of happy ones. During their vacation in Mexico, and most notably during their vacation in Jamaica.

They had shared their first passionate kiss there. A kiss they both never forgot; a kiss that changed their lives forever and always even if there was a lot of pain later when Tony got involved with that other woman. Their love and friendship was strong enough to manage it through this gloomiest chapter of their life. At first Tony thought he had to give up the friendship for love, but later they noticed that friendship was a very good base for a relationship, that a relationship never could exist without friendship. Thirty years of friendship, strong love and a wonderful life leaded to this day!

If she only still had that pink bathrobe! He had seen her in so many wonderful dresses - long elegant evening gowns, short mini-skirts which showed her sexy legs, light summer spaghetti strap dresses, exposing her beautiful neck, ... And business suits, he had seen her in hundreds of formal business suits. And she had always looked good. Good? That was the understatement of the century. Beautiful. Stunning. Gorgeous. Adorable. Ravishing. Breathtaking. Captivating. Smashing. The English language didn't have enough adjectives to describe her beauty. But the pink terry cloth bathrobe he first met her in had always been his favorite garment. She had kept it many years, and it had always conjured a smile on his face to see her wearing it. It had been the weirdest job interview one would ever imagine: the employer in a bathrobe with a towel on her head, the applicant without any experience or references, having a daughter with a black eye in tow. Angela had been an experienced employer and had conducted many job interviews before. She had always been very deliberate with her decisions, checking resumés, calling former employers for references, talking to several applicants before she hired someone. But she had instantly trusted the man who had showed up at her doorstep thirty years ago. And the way he had convinced little Jonathan to bring his snake upstairs had tipped the balance. To this very day she marveled at how credulous she had been. She had surrendered herself _and_ her son to a complete stranger, a very strong and muscular stranger. But Tony had never betrayed her trust. Quite the contrary. He had protected her, cared for her, and supported her from the very first day he had moved into her house. Hiring him had been the best decision of her life, and she silently thanked fate almost every day for guiding this man to her front door.

"Happy Anniversary Sweetheart!" Angela put her arms around her husband when she returned from work.

"But our anniversary is in June," he replied, somewhat confused.

"Not our_ wedding_ anniversary, silly. Today is September ... the twentieth!" she reminded him.

"What?! No, it can't be." Tony quickly checked his _iPhone_. "Oh, uh-oh. Oh Angela ..."

"Relax, Tony. I know how stressful it's been around here with our boomerang children, their spouses, soon to be exes and two more small children in the house."

"Yes, but that's not an excuse. I should have remembered. It's been thirty years, Ang. Thirty! Can you believe it?"

"Time flies like crazy, doesn't it? Still seems like yesterday to me. My goodness, I had no idea what to do when you showed up on my doorstep," she giggled, images of that day flooding her memory.

"Thank God you hired me. I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't. Sam and I had given up our apartment in Brooklyn. Madonna Mi, that was a gutsy thing to do."

"And I've never regretted it, ever. Well at least not since that first night when you almost hit my boss with a baseball bat."

"Ay-oh, oh-ay, I thought he was attacking you. We got our signals crossed," he said in defense. Tony shook his head, "I'd only known you for a few hours but already ... already I felt jealous seein' a guy all over you like that. Why do you think I talked you out of sleeping with him?"

"Yes, that was very, um, gutsy of you. We were strangers and you worked for me." Angela paused to look at him and smiled when their dark eyes met. "You didn't just stop me from sleeping with Grant because of my promotion?"

"That was part of it, but I didn't want you to get hurt. And the thought of that old geezer all over you made me wanna be sick. You were just so lovely, so much better than him, and there was somethin' vulnerable about you. I wanted to protect you, right from the start. Hell, I wanted to kiss you right from the start. One look into those beautiful brown eyes and I was gone," he admitted.

"Oh come on. You're just saying that. If you were so 'gone', then why did it take us seven long years to get together?" she pressed.

"Stupidity and fear, Ang. God, if I could do it all over again, I wouldn't have waited that long. No way." Tony cupped her face in his hands. When he looked at her, he still saw the thirty-four year old woman she had been on the day they'd met. Her eyes hadn't changed; it was still the same soul that he glimpsed behind them. He leaned in and kissed her, tenderly at first, then with more passion.

She responded in kind and tightened her grip around him. Between kisses she told him how much she loved him. "I wish we'd gotten together sooner too," she added. "I would have loved to bear your child, Tony Micelli."

Their lack of children together was a sore point for Angela. When they'd first been married, they'd tried and had even been to visit a fertility clinic but Angela had been forty-two at the time. When she had finally become pregnant, she'd miscarried at ten weeks. It had been a devastating blow to both of them, but especially to Angela. She'd so desperately wanted to have Tony's baby.

"Oh Honey, I'm so sorry. Shhh." He held her tightly against him, as she cried softly against him. "If I could change the past, I would. You know I would."

"It's okay Tony. I'm sorry-didn't mean to bring back sad memories. I'm just so happy that we're together. I love you so much. And we do have two wonderful children and there's Nicky and Marie. We're so very blessed."

Tony kissed her again. "We're going to _La Fleur_ tonight," he announced.

"Without a reservation? Besides, it's called _Le Canard Goulu_ now. Remember?"

"Yeah, I remember. We're just gonna go and tell them it's our thirtieth anniversary! No street fair tonight. No way."

"Good call, Tony. I wanted to strangle you on the night of our seventh anniversary. Car seat covers?"

"I'll admit, I was a clueless jerk. But hey, that was twenty-three years ago. Am I forgiven?"

"You bet, Tony. You bet." Angela pressed her lips to his and lost herself in his kisses.

Thirty years!


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11 -** _by kirsty2765 _

After Angela finally had the guts to tell Tony about the pending wedding a few days ago, she felt a lot better. She wasn't used keeping secrets from him. At first, he wanted to start one scene after another, but fortunately, he got distracted when Oliver showed up. Sam's worries were more important to Tony than the lifestyle Jonathan and Rainer had chosen for themselves. If they were happy, they were happy. Right? Angela was relieved that the topic was closed; she obviously picked a good time telling him even though she was very concerned about Sam too. Sam's stubbornness and her inability to forgive scared her and she prayed silently for her daughter not to become stonehearted and bitter.

Everyone, she thought, was out of the house and Angela made herself comfortable on the couch with a good book. The nerve-wracking time hadn't left her unaffected and she needed some rest. She dove into "Written in my own heart's blood", and was carried away by her new novel. Half an hour later she heard footsteps coming down the stairs. So much for being alone.

"Angela, can I talk to you?" Sam crossed the living room and sat down next to Angela.

"Sure, something wrong? Angela sat up straight and looked at her stepdaughter.

"Angela, I need a job. I know you and Dad care for us and we can live here, but I need something to do. I don't want to be dependent on Oliver and I don't want to take his money. He already pays for Marie and Nicky, but I can't lay back and put my feet up. I'm not a person who takes advantage of a failed marriage." Sam kneaded her hands nervously, unsure if Angela would meet her idea with enthusiasm. She had disappointed her once when she didn't take her job at the agency seriously. Although she had been a child at the time, she regretted her immature behavior back then.

"I don't want to work in the medical field anymore. To tell you the truth, I'm sick of it. All these years I felt exploited, working unpaid in Olly's practice. I did a lot of things for that little suburbia we lived in. Being a doctor's wife is very similar to being a pastor's wife. Everyone expected me to do charity. I organized flea markets, kindergarten parties and athletic contests, tea parties for the seniors, school festivals and even Bingo nights for pensioners. I'm good at organizing, very good, and I want to make use of my abilities."

"Sam, that sounds great. What do you have in mind?" Angela was surprised by Sam's seemingly well thought out concept.

"Couldn't you use me at the agency, Angela? I could take some classes in Marketing Organization in college and would like to work for you afterwards."

"Sure, Sam I am impressed. That could be a step in the right direction. I could think of a lot of things you could do for me. Do you know what I've always dreamed of?" Angela took Sam's hands keeping her away from nervously rubbing. "I wanted to have a daycare in my agency for all my employees who have little kids. They have to drive them through whole Manhattan before starting work and they lose so much time. If they bring them to the agency, they'll have more family time. I never had time to arrange this. That could be one of your projects, Sam. You don't need a degree, but taking some courses would improve your capability."

"Angela, thank you so much," Sam hugged her, "you're the best, you know?"

"I always wanted to have a family business, cut down my responsibilities a little and spend more time with your father."

"You never get enough of each other, right?"

"No, never," Angela smiled, "but what about Oliver? Are you sure you want to stay?"

"I don't want to go back to England. I made a decision after talking to him yesterday. It wasn't just his betrayal, Angela. There was more that smoldered in the air. Yesterday I realized how much he wanted me to change who I am, and I'm no longer willing to twist myself for him or for any other man."

"So, I think you have to tell him."

"I will. He's coming over in an hour to say good-bye to Marie and Nicky. He can't stay any longer because of his practice. That will be hard for the kids. I guess, I should prep them. They're at Jonathan's apartment." Sam rose from the couch and walked through the swinging door waving Angela good-bye.

Angela leaned back, closed her eyes and relaxed. It would never be quiet in this house.

Sam found both men lying on the floor on their stomachs, playing. Rainer and Marie had set up a big dollhouse that Angela had received during canvassing a big international ad campaign for Playmobil. She had put it in the attic for the time the children would be here and now it came in handy. Jonathan and Nicky were cleaning a dusty terrarium. A perforated boxboard stood close on the table and strange noises were coming out of it.

"Mom, did you know Jonathan had a snake when he was a child?" Nicky jumped around Sam.

"I know, sweetie, he was the king of the reptiles." Sam gazed over at Jonathan. "What's in that box?"

"It's a bearded dragon, Mom, isn't it great? Jonathan gave it to me. I never had a pet, now I have a dragon, can you believe it?" Nicky declared with much enthusiasm.

"Hopefully, it will not spit fire. Jon, one day you are taking that back, I swear." Sam sent Jon a killer glance. "We have to go over, your father will come soon. He wants to say good-bye."

"But I want to play with Rainer now, Mom, can't we go later?" Marie resorted to begging.

"Yes, mommy, we are playing sooo nicely, "Rainer said puppy-eyed to Sam.

"Ten minutes," Sam gave in, "what about you, guys, did you find an apartment or something?"

"No, not yet. It's more difficult than we thought. Affordable apartments are hard to find in Chelsea. If we don't find anything soon we'll have to lower our sights," Jon sighed discontented.

Rainer stood up from the floor. "I already told you, possibly we could find something closer to Fairfield. A house, not an apartment. If it becomes possible for us to adopt kids we'll need more rooms and maybe a garden."

"Whoa, Rainer, you're quick on the draw, aren't you? You're not even married." Sam laughed at Rainer's boldness.

"I'm a high-speed thinker. We don't want to wait that long. I like to have my family here for the wedding and my brothers, Stefan and Mark, promised me they'd come. It would be nice if we had a home of our own by then. I'm sure you can use this apartment when we move out."

"Only for a short time, it's too small for me and the kids and I don't want to stay in the house. I will start looking for us when everything is settled." Since her life was a mess Sam hadn't yet given thought about where to live. "You never told me you have two brothers. What are they doing?"

"Interested, hm? Mark is thirty-three and a software developer and Stefan is thirthy-seven and a journalist. I'm the middle child; that's why I'm so adaptable and flexible, "Rainer joked, "but leave Mark for Mona, she into younger guys."

"Talking about men, I've got to go. Thank you for babysitting, boys."

"Anytime," Jonathan hugged her briefly, "I like to have them around."

Sam led the kids to the door and walked through the garden. They entered the house through the back door to the kitchen. She just made it into the living room when the doorbell rang. That would be Oliver. Sam wasn't upset anymore. Her fury had dissipated since their terrible fight the day before. All that yelling had killed her anger. The rage in her belly was gone and had given way to an inner serenity and calmness. She opened the door finding her husband who looked a little better today.

"Hi, Sam. How are you?

"Surprisingly well. Come in."

"Dad, Dad, I have a bearded dragon. I can keep it in a terrarium. Isn't it great?" Nicky jumped into his father's arms.

"And Angela gifted me a Playmobil dollhouse. I always wanted one." Marie clung to his neck.

"That's lovely news, my babies," Oliver answered, "but it's late and you both have to sleep. Get ready for bed and I'll tuck you in. It will last a long time until I can do that again."

The kids climbed up the stairs to their bedroom. Oliver turned to Sam and wondered about her different mood compared to yesterday. She hasn't changed her mind, has she? The sense of guilt plagued him but the look in Sam's eyes told him that his time was over. She seemed calm and reasonable.

"So, I guess, we have reached the end of the road?" Oliver whispered sadly, "you won't forgive me?"

"When I couldn't sleep last night I realized that there were dark clouds in the sky for a long time, Oliver. I supplanted them and that's my fault. I should have told you earlier that I was dissatisfied in our marriage. But unlike you, I didn't cheat on you. Yes, this is definitely the end."

"You won't keep the children away from me, will you?" Oliver asked anxiously, "I don't want to lose them. I don't even know how to live without them. You're a wonderful mother and I know I can't take care of them enough with all the work I have. Although I could hire a housekeeper."

"A housekeeper? Oliver, we never found a cleaner for the house in our stupid little village. How will you find a housekeeper? Let's face it; no one wants to live there by choice. Besides a housekeeper is not a mother."

"Your Dad did that job."

"Yes, but things are different here and he was more than a housekeeper for Angela right from the beginning. You can't compare apples and oranges."

"Angela had managed to forgive him" Oliver replied hopefully.

"They had always been on a road running in the same direction. When Dad had turned right, he just needed to turn two times left and he was back on the same road. When_ you_ bent off to the right, we tangled up because we didn't use the same side of the street." Sam tried to find an explanation. "I don't want to talk about it anymore; it will make me angry and sick again. Don't worry about the kids. They have a wonderful life here and you can see them whenever it's possible. Moreover, you can take them for summer vacation for two whole months and maybe you'll find some time to fly over here in winter. You can talk to them every day. Hell, it's 2014, we have _WhatsApp_, we have _Facebook_ and we have _Skype_. I hope we are able to arrange something without fighting over the kids." Sam talked insistently to him but he obviously couldn't change the subject.

"Sam, when did everything go so wrong?"

Sam sighed. "Look, when we started our life you made the choice to take the _lift _to the top. We went up and down and anytime the doors opened, you stepped out and left me behind. The lift went down to the ground and suddenly I stood outside, alone."

"Yes, but I'm back on the ground now. Couldn't we try it again?"

"No, Oliver. It's my turn to choose now," Sam turned her face to his, "and I won't take the_ lift _any longer_. _My choice is the _elevator!_

Oliver looked down at the floor avoiding her glance. He perfectly understood. The battle was lost. The only thing left was to kiss the kids good-night and fly home.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12 -**_ by jugglequeen_

Sam's keys almost hit Rainer's head before they landed on the kitchen table.

"Ey-oh, oh-ey. What's with you, Sam?" Rainer exclaimed.

"Has my father taught you some English? It sounds as if he's talking to me," Sam asked in an annoyed tone. She was exhausted after a long day of unsuccessful flat-hunting throughout the surrounding suburbs of Fairfield. "It's unbelievable! For a reasonable rate you either get a tiny shoebox or a rotten hole, and for an acceptable place they charge you a fortune. I think the kids and I have to live with Dad and Angela until the end of time," she whined.

Rainer suddenly had an idea. "Why don't we look for a place close by where Nicky, Marie and you can move in with Jonathan and me?" he asked excitedly.

"Have Jon and you really given up the plan to look for a flat in Chelsea?" Sam knew that the boys had hired a gay real estate manager to find them a place within their community.

"Well, ..."

Rainer hadn't told his boyfriend yet that he wasn't so keen on moving right into the middle of this gigantic city anymore. He came from a small town in former East Germany. Although he had lived in Berlin for years, and the capital was Germany's biggest city, it was nothing at all comparable to The Big Apple. The noise, masses of people and on-going activity of Manhattan bothered him. He loved to visit the pulsating city center and was thrilled to go to work there, but every evening when he returned to the little flat above the garage on 3344 Oak Hills Drive in Fairfield, he took a deep breath and enjoyed the peace and quiet of suburban Connecticut. And he didn't necessarily have to live among other gay people. Some of the very out-going gays even intimidated him. He had already once popped the idea of looking for a small house close to his mother's estate, but wasn't so sure whether Jonathan had really understood.

"Well what?" Sam was intrigued right away.

"It would be much easier to find an affordable place for three adults and two children than for a single-mom with two kids," Rainer reasoned.

"And you would be willing to move in with these two nerve-racking brats?"

"Are you kidding? Your kids are adorable!"

"And they love you, Rainer. You're really good with kids. You and Jon should definitely think about adopting a baby. You'd be a great father."

With this Sam had hit Rainer's blind spot unintentionally. He had always dreamt about having children of his own. In Germany it was difficult for a gay couple to officially adopt a baby, albeit not impossible. But he had once read in a magazine that gay adoption was easier and more common in the United States than in his home country. He had even heard that surrogacy became evermore acceptable within the American society, so maybe one of them could even be the biological father to their baby. This thought warmed his soul. He loved Jonathan from the bottom of his heart and was very much looking forward to their wedding and their life together afterwards. The two of them raising a child would be the icing on the cake.

"So, ... what do you think?"

"Have you already talked to Jonathan about it?"

"No, but I will. Tonight. I bet he'll be as thrilled as I am." Rainer was very excited. "And your Dad will also like the idea, I'm pretty sure. He's a very protective father and grandfather. He would enjoy having you near."

"That's the understatement of the year! He thinks I'm still his little girl. But I'm a grown woman, soon a two-time divorcée with kids of my own. Don't get me wrong, Rainer. I love my Dad and it's good to know that I can always count on him, but he tends to be a little over-protective. Especially now. He thinks that I'm devastated and broken, but I'm not. I feel as if a load has been taken off me. I wasn't happy in my marriage for quite some time. I stayed with Oliver only because of the kids. I'll receive child support payments for Marie and Nicky, and Angela already offered me a job at The Bower Agency. I can take care of my life and that of my children on my own."

"You working for Angela would be so cool, Samantha. The three of us would be colleagues then. Well, Jonathan would be your boss! Do you think you can handle that?"

"Well, the Micellis are used to being bossed around by the Bowers," she joked, and both burst out into laughter. "You mustn't overlook the fact that he'd be your boss as well, Rainer. Your fiancé will be your boss," she said with a devilish grin.

"I have to ask you father for advice on how to cope with that situation then, I guess. He's very experienced at how to handle being in love with your boss."

Now, Sam and Rainer collapsed with laughter. They laughed so hard that they could hardly inhale anymore and tears were running down their cheeks. Finally, after minutes of roaring laughter, Rainer calmed himself and came up with another good reason for them to move in together.

"And if we lived together, Jon and I could look after the kids when you're out on a date. You won't have to ask your father to babysit. How about that?"

"Oh, Rainer, it really is a tempting idea. Maybe you're right, we should talk to Jonathan. I wonder what he'll be thinking about it."

* * *

As could be expected, Jonathan liked the idea from the first moment Rainer told him about it. He had always loved his surrogate sister, he even had a little crush on her for a short time as a teenager. And he loved her kids. He also enjoyed having them around, for he also secretly dreamt about being a father some day - just like his fiancé. So they didn't waste any time but fired their gay real estate manager and hired a young lady to look for a house big enough for five people in the Fairfield area, with a garden and a picket fence. Angela and Tony were thrilled at the prospect of having everybody so close. They were both passionate grandparents and had always regretted that their grandchildren lived so far away in England.

Only three weeks later the tenancy agreement was signed and everybody was excited about the move, especially Nicky and Marie. Their landlord was an elderly man with white hair and tiny brimless spectacles. Rainer, who had mainly negotiated the contract, was sure that Mr Richardson hadn't completely figured out the relation between the five people moving into his house. He was quite sure that he assumed that Sam and he were a couple with their kids, and Jonathan a close friend of the family. And even if he had been a bit suspicious he didn't show, probably mainly because Angela and Tony were well-respected members of the Fairfield community and so their folks were given unprejudiced credit.

Another few weeks later, Rainer and Jonathan started to plan their wedding. It would be an intimate celebration with only the closest family being present. Jonathan had invited his father and his second wife, but due to health problems neither of them could join. Much to Rainer's dismay, his parents refused to come. They still had problems accepting that their son was gay. And although gay marriage existed it Germany too, they were too narrow-minded to be able to value it as highly as a straight marriage. But Rainer's brothers Stefan and Mark had announced their intention to attend. The three brothers had always been like the The Three Musketeers, being not even two years apart from each other. Stefan was the oldest. He was a freelance journalist and had traveled almost every spot in the world with a backpack and a camera. He was tall, lean, had blond short hair and bright blue eyes. His full beard underlined his adventurous soul. Samantha was fascinated by the handsome German the moment she first met him. Mark was the youngest of the three brothers, but the one who had settled down first. He had married his childhood sweetheart shortly after they both had graduated from high school and was the father to a pair of two-year-old twin girls. His wife was pregnant once again and therefore couldn't come to join her brother-in-law's wedding. Mark was also very likeable, but talking on the phone most of the time to those who had stayed home. He planned to fly back to Berlin soon after the wedding, whereas Stefan jumped at the opportunity to spend a few weeks in New England, as the United States was one of the rare countries in the world he hadn't traveled much around yet.

"Maybe I'll get the chance to write an article or I might come up with a nice photo reportage. Is the Indian Summer still on?" he asked Samantha.

"Well, if you go further North, you'll have more of the foliage. That's what we call it when the leaves turn red and orange. It's beautiful. But I'm afraid in most areas it's past peak already, but it still is an amazing natural spectacle to watch. You have to go there, Steven, ... oh, sorry, Stefan!"

"It's okay, you can call me Steven if you like. I've heard my name in so many different versions. The French call me Stéphane, the Spanish Estebàn, the Italian Stefano, and the English speaking people Steven. I was in Hungary last year and they called me Istvàn. So, just pick one!" He grinned. "My family calls me Steff, so if you want to, you can call me Steff, too. When my brother and your step-brother are married, you and me are family, aren't we? Well, sort of, ..." Another bright grin appeared on his face, showing flawless teeth.

"Alright, Steff, I'd like that," Sam replied with wobbly knees. This man was very charming!

The wedding ceremony took place on a bright October Sunday afternoon in the office of the local Justice of the Peace. Tony still had some problems with reckoning a gay marriage equivalent to one between a man and a woman. His Catholic upbringing had taught him everything about the holy state of matrimony, being the hatchery of traditional families consisting of a mother, a father and children. But when he saw the love and happiness in Jonathan's and Rainer's eyes, exchanging their marriage vows in front of the justice, his heart melted away. He loved Jonathan to bits and wanted him to be happy more than anything. If this young German man made him happy, then so be it. Tony thought back to the times when people had turned up their noses at his relationship to Angela. He was reminded of how bad it had made him feel that others would not see that his love for her was all that counted, no matter how odd it might have appeared in their eyes. Jonathan probably felt the same way, Tony figured, so he swallowed his remaining misgivings down like an acid drop and welcomed Rainer to the family.

After Jonathan and Rainer were officially married, Angela invited the whole party to dinner at a fancy restaurant downtown Fairfield. As Rainer's parents weren't present, it was up to her to pay for the expenses, which she didn't mind at all. She had always dreamt of the day her only son would walk down the aisle. Of course she hadn't pictured him eventually marrying a man, but she liked Rainer a lot and was at peace with the world and the situation as it was. The Bower-Micelli family was growing, adding more beautiful people to it, that was all that counted. It had all started with Tony and her in 1984 - 30 years ago! Together with Sam, Jonathan and Mona they had started their little patchwork family. Sam had first brought Hank and later Oliver into the family. Both had already vanished, but Sam's second marriage had been blessed by two great kids. Nicky and Marie enriched everybody's lives, especially the ones of their grandparents. And today another member had been added to the family. Rainer Herrmann from Germany, the man who made her son happy. Somehow, he fit perfectly into this unique structure they all called their family.


End file.
